How to shape and assess dietary behavior using mobile devices

Technological development in the field of mobile technologies is proceeding at a rapid pace increasingly immersing everyday life. The regular use of smartphones and other mobile technologies also opens up new avenues for dietary surveys and behavioral change. The technical features of smartphones, such as GPS and cameras, enable users to document and track their eating habits in daily life. In addition, it is also possible to record complex data about eating behavior at the moment of experience in specific everyday situations. New technologies thus offer not only more data, but also qualitatively different data. For example, they show us time signatures, when and for how long food is eaten, and also the circumstances, e.g., where and with whom food is eaten. Furthermore, mobile technologies can also be used to tailor behavior change interventions more specifically to individual user needs and specific eating situations. These potentials of mobile technologies for dietary monitoring and intervention are illustrated by recent results from a systematic review and meta-analysis comprising 6348 participants and 373 outcomes with sample sizes ranging from 10 to 833, including 27 randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Here a beneficial effect of app-based mobile interventions was identified for improving nutrition behaviors (g= 0.19; CI 0.06-0.32, P = .004) and nutrition-related health outcomes (g = 0.23; CI 0.11-0.35, P = .001). Research conducted within the BMBF project SMARTACT show first promising results in terms of improving dietary behavior and various health parameters. Taken together, the potentials of mobile technologies for changing eating behavior are discussed with respect to higher-level perspectives such as Food as Health and Food as Well-being.